Revamped Disney site launches

Goal is to create a place online that evokes emotion, Goldstein sez

Disney Online is expected to bow today a revamped edition of its Disney.com Web site, a move it hopes will help the venture remain dominant against such kid-oriented rivals as Nickelodeon.com.

The new look, which took five months to complete, is designed to resemble a theme park, complete with a monorail that guides Netizens to six separate “lands.” Idea is a concept Disney’s Webheads have long been working on but something technology never enabled until now.

Faster site, featuring a total of 29,000 Web pages, will continue to feature online editions of all properties plastered with the Disney logo — links to films, TV shows, cabler Disney Channel and its Zoog Disney programming lineup, Broadway shows, DisneyStore.com and vacation planning packages to its theme parks — as well as original entertainment such as games, cartoons and other downloads.

New cartoons or other Webisodic series created by Disney animators will bow in the coming months at the Disney’s Digital Showcase section of the site. Nickelodeon.com already showcases a slate of online series at its Web Premiere Toons channel.

Subscription service Disney’s Club Blast will continue featuring continuously updated new content. Members pay $5.95 a month or $39.95 annually.

“It is our goal to create a place online that evokes emotion,” said Ken Goldstein, executive veep and managing director of Disney Online. “Our guests expect magic from Disney and it is always our job to exceed their expectations. Family entertainment is all about storytelling, creating memories, and sharing special moments. Our site is all about that, about our guests and their enjoyment.”

Disney Online is a division of Go.com, the online arm of the Mouse House, which also oversees portal Go and sites for ABC, ABCNews, ESPN, Mr. Showbiz, the NBA and NFL, among others.